Just One Moment…

When Jesus comes along everything changes. He reaches into the depths of despair and plucks us out of the slippery slope to self-destruction with His bare hand. That moment of impact, that moment of realization, that moment of surrender. THAT moment that changes everything. Your world shifts on its axis leaving you breathless, you feel the warmth of His love spreading through your body. For the first time you feel content, full of joy and alive. Yes, for the first time you truly feel alive.

If you know Jesus, you’ll know what I’m talking about & you’ll probably remember that moment. For me it was sitting in my old school, Bloomfield Collegiate at an SU inter-schools event called Unite. It was during the ‘Everything’ drama by Lifehouse when it all changed. I could feel my chest tightening, my heart pounding, the palms of my hands were clammy & I started to feel a cold sweat coming on. And then, that moment where God spoke saying, “I am here, I am real and I see you.” My heart pounded against my chest so hard I thought it was going to burst out! My head was spinning, in that moment my entire world shifted on its axis. God is real and He knows me! What a revelation! The man speaking at the front appealed for anyone who wanted to know more, who wanted prayer or wanted to give their lives to God to come forward. I sat in my seat, chest tight, heart still pounding & suddenly fear crept in. A voice in my head said “Don’t go, it’s all lies you know.” But another, that still, calm voice spoke in a quiet whisper and said once more, “I am here, I am real & I see you.” A battle raged in my heart. Little did I know my choice in that moment would change the outcome of the entire course of my life! So eventually I left my seat and made the longest journey of my life to the front of the hall. I felt like everyone was looking at me. Some of my friends who were there were shocked I was going up at all. As I walked to the front I saw one of my friends who had just become a Christian a few months earlier. He came over & stood with me as I waited to chat to someone. You see, even at that moment I was considering turning around and going back to my seat. It would have been easier to go back & continue on with normal life but God sent my friend Lee to draw alongside me to lead the way and for that I am forever thankful.

We have all had those moments, moments where God has changed everything. He has spoken & that’s that; everything shifts, everything changes.

However, despite this, why is it that for some people that one touch doesn’t change everything? I recently found myself questioning why when I saw a situation unfold in front of me where those involved had seemingly been touched by God but the impact, that touch didn’t seem to last.

“God, why when You are the Creator of the universe & the lover of our souls, do you touch someone’s broken life & it has no lasting impact, no fruit?” This question was swirling round & round my head & then BOOM! God in His wonderful mercy gave me the answer…

“You see it’s all about a choice. When I come along & touch your hearts and lives I also open up the window of choice as to whether or not you will allow me to do so. You have a choice as to how long you allow that moment to impact you.”

We now as a church family & individually in our own lives need to make a conscious decision. Will we allow God to touch our lives for a single moment, a one off time, or will we allow that one touch from the King to change everything?